First Thanksgiving vs current Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving, a beautiful time to reflect on everything we’re thankful for in not just the past year, but well beyond that. Also a time to remember how it all started. We all know “The First Thanksgiving” was celebrated by the Pilgrims. While more modern celebrations of Thanksgiving still hold the same values, there are differences.

First Thanksgiving: Commonly called by the Americans as such, was celebrated by the Pilgrims after their first harvest in the New World in October 1621. Presumably thanks were offered at that gathering. The first recorded religious Thanksgiving Day in Plymouth happened a few years later in 1623. It was then, the colonists gave thanks to God for rain after a two-month drought. Interestingly, most of what we do know about the holiday comes from the diary of Plymouth, Massachusetts governor William Bradford. Their meal consisted of deer, corn, shellfish, and roasted meat. They also played ball games, sang, and danced. It may be that one of a few days out of the year we know and love, but the true origins of the food-filled celebration remain a little mysterious-even to those of us who were taught the basic details in grade school. Doing all those fun little projects in elementary school, such as making a costume along with the notes and cards of thanks, really showed me what the day was all about.

Current Thanksgiving: Declared a national holiday by Abraham Lincoln in the mid 1800s. Today, Thanksgiving consists of several different things. We may travel, possibly far distances. Watching television is fairly common, whether it be the well-known parades, a traditional movie, or a football game. We also use this time to help out people who may not be as lucky as us. Volunteering to serve food at homeless shelters, donating to shelters, or participating in canned food drives are some simple things to make us feel extra special. While shopping shouldn’t really be any part of the day itself, it has increasingly become more involved as stores have been opening part of the day. It’s been debated by many, including myself, that this day should be reserved for real family time.

A cool and unique thing we still do today is the breaking of the turkey’s wishbone. It’s thought where two people make a wish and then whoever ends up with the bigger piece will get their wish granted. This tradition made its way to England in the 16th century. From there it came over to the US with the settlers during the colonial era.